JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than a dozen people are named in a complaint filed in Duval County court last week that details a yearlong investigation into an illegal gambling ring in Jacksonville.
The complaint was filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's office. More than a dozen people are named in the complaint, but six people are considered 'high-level members' of the operation.
According to the filing, Robin Rukab Azzam is an owner of the enterprise and is also referred to as the 'boss.' Her husband, George Azzam, helps run the establishments. Ryan Strickland and Derek Fleming provide illegal gambling machines and software. Majd Dabbas manufactures some of the machines and Jerry Bass helps launder the money. Willbert Bannister was also named as a defendant and acts as a courier for the group.
The group reportedly operated 10 establishments around Jacksonville. They used illegal games like 'fish tables,' which involve shooting virtual fish with a cannon, 'fire links,' which are knock-off Las Vegas slot machines and internet games called 'Classic Games.'
The group would launder the money from the illegal gambling establishments to buy things like property and cars. The complaint detailed the number of bank accounts used for the operation and who would deposit the money. Robin Azzam is also accused of going to legitimate casinos to 'layer' the money or mix the illegal money with legitimate money.
First Coast News Crime and Safety Analyst Mark Baughman has experience investigating these illegal gambling rings. He said these investigations usually take time while detectives track the money.
"Cash is being stored in a number of places. They'll use banks, they'll use safety deposit boxes, they'll bury money, they'll do whatever they can. A lot of the cash also will be laundered through legitimate casinos and other operations and entities," Baughman explained.
The complaint states the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office began investigating these establishments after receiving complaints from people in the community. They also responded to a robbery in progress at one of the illegal establishments back in March 2023 and saw the illegal machines.
Since then, JSO responded to reported robberies at other locations. There was also a deadly shooting on Oct. 3, 2024, when a security guard was killed at an establishment off Edgewood Avenue. Baughman said it is not uncommon for these establishments to be targets for theft.
"These individuals that do these home invasions or do these invasions on drug houses, clandestine stash houses, they, in turn, find out about these gambling operations and do the same. Hence you have shootings and violence," Baughman said.
The complaint was filed on Dec. 11, 2024, the same day JSO served warrants at a home off Ortega Farms Boulevard. The address of the home matches the address listed in the complaint for Ryan Strickland.
The complaint states Strickland calls Robin Azzam his 'partner' and alleges he launders some of the money through his business, Triad Venture Capitalists LLC.
Baughman said for law enforcement to shut down the operation for good, they need to be able to prove this money is being moved illegally.
"People that are making tons of money, not paying taxes and they're illicitly running these operations. The majority of the charges operationally are misdemeanor, but the bigger charges are gonna be racketeering charges as well as the money laundering charges because the enormous amount of money that's being made is great," Baughman said.
The defendants named in the complaint are facing multiple charges including racketeering and money laundering. Robin and George Azzam, Bass, Strickland, Dabbas and Bannister have all been arrested.
JSO is working on providing more information on this investigation. The Attorney General's Office told First Coast News it cannot comment on active investigations.
Baughman added members of the community can put an end to future illegal gambling establishments by calling law enforcement and reporting what they know.
"The family members that are seeing these people destroy their lives and lose their livelihood or are using their social security checks and they're just gambling, like any other legitimate operation. The house always wins very, no one walks out of there with a lot of money. No one always walks in and wins every day. They keep coming back," Baughman said.